Roundup: Florida men's golf remains in first

Published: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Sparked by the top three players on the individual leaderboard Friday, Florida is in first place after two rounds at the NCAA South Regional in Baton Rouge, La.

The Gators recorded a 292 (+4) for the second round at the University Club and lead second-place Alabama by eight strokes heading into today's third and final round.

"First of all, we have three guys playing up a storm," UF coach Buddy Alexander said. "We are in a good spot with a chance to win and a good spot to qualify."

Sophomore Eric Banks and senior T.J. Vogel paced the Gators on the second day of competition. Both Banks and Vogel scored a 71 (-1). At one-under par through two rounds, Banks is tied for third place. Fueled by two consecutive rounds under par, Vogel is on top of the individual leaderboard at three-under par.

Senior captain Tyler McCumber finished at even-par at the par-72, 7,436 yard course. He is two-under for the tournament and in second place.

"This is uncharted waters for Eric Banks," Alexander said. "T.J. Vogel and Tyler McCumber have been there before. Tyler could actually be going for his first win in his collegiate career tomorrow."

Classmate J.D. Tomlinson registered a 78 (+6) for the second round. The Gainesville native is 11-over par through two rounds. Senior Tommy Mou rounded out the Gators' lineup, recording an 82 (+10) and is 12-over par through the first two rounds of the regional tournament.

Track and field: Florida freshman Jimmy Clark was named the SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year, as announced by the conference as part of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field awards.

Clark was the 2013 SEC men’s 10,000-meter champion, winning the event in a time of 29:44.54. He became the first freshman in school history to win the men’s SEC 10K title and the fifth overall athlete in program annals to accomplish that feat. He shaved 17 seconds off his personal-best for a third-place finish in the men’s 5,000 meters at the SEC Championships with a time of 13:58.24, which is good for third all-time at Florida.

Along with Clark, who earned two SEC All-Freshman Team nods and an SEC first-team honor, the Gators earned 25 All-SEC accolades from the SEC Outdoor Championships. Other UF athletes with multiple honors include fellow freshmen Arman Hall and Marija Vucenovic.

Next up for the Gators is the NCAA East Preliminary Round, hosted by North Carolina A&T State at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Center. The three-day meet begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. Florida has been awarded 48 qualifiers (22 men, 26 women) for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

<p>BATON ROUGE, La. — Sparked by the top three players on the individual leaderboard Friday, Florida is in first place after two rounds at the NCAA South Regional in Baton Rouge, La.</p><p>The Gators recorded a 292 (+4) for the second round at the University Club and lead second-place Alabama by eight strokes heading into today's third and final round.</p><p> "First of all, we have three guys playing up a storm," UF coach Buddy Alexander said. "We are in a good spot with a chance to win and a good spot to qualify."</p><p> Sophomore Eric Banks and senior T.J. Vogel paced the Gators on the second day of competition. Both Banks and Vogel scored a 71 (-1). At one-under par through two rounds, Banks is tied for third place. Fueled by two consecutive rounds under par, Vogel is on top of the individual leaderboard at three-under par.</p><p> Senior captain Tyler McCumber finished at even-par at the par-72, 7,436 yard course. He is two-under for the tournament and in second place.</p><p> "This is uncharted waters for Eric Banks," Alexander said. "T.J. Vogel and Tyler McCumber have been there before. Tyler could actually be going for his first win in his collegiate career tomorrow."</p><p> Classmate J.D. Tomlinson registered a 78 (+6) for the second round. The Gainesville native is 11-over par through two rounds. Senior Tommy Mou rounded out the Gators' lineup, recording an 82 (+10) and is 12-over par through the first two rounds of the regional tournament.</p><p><b>Track and field:</b> Florida freshman Jimmy Clark was named the SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year, as announced by the conference as part of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field awards.</p><p> Clark was the 2013 SEC men's 10,000-meter champion, winning the event in a time of 29:44.54. He became the first freshman in school history to win the men's SEC 10K title and the fifth overall athlete in program annals to accomplish that feat. He shaved 17 seconds off his personal-best for a third-place finish in the men's 5,000 meters at the SEC Championships with a time of 13:58.24, which is good for third all-time at Florida.</p><p> Along with Clark, who earned two SEC All-Freshman Team nods and an SEC first-team honor, the Gators earned 25 All-SEC accolades from the SEC Outdoor Championships. Other UF athletes with multiple honors include fellow freshmen Arman Hall and Marija Vucenovic.</p><p> Next up for the Gators is the NCAA East Preliminary Round, hosted by North Carolina A&T State at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Center. The three-day meet begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. Florida has been awarded 48 qualifiers (22 men, 26 women) for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.</p>